Month: June 2017

Another person lost to what they claim is a disease. The epidemic is not some disease, the epidemic is marginalization of people who are assumed to be diseased. We live in a society that can’t tolerate grief and sadness. The epidemic runs rampant in the medical and so-called “mental health” professions. People who are depressed (a normal human condition) are made into criminals by the media and the police.

No, we didn’t lose him to a disease. We lost him because he was misunderstood. We didn’t hear him right. We should have. He wasn’t waving, but drowning.

I never met the man. But in a tiny way I blame myself, because I wasn’t there for him. Because I can’t make these changes I dream of fast enough. Because our society is uncaring. I feel that deeply.

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Today the bus did not get stuck in traffic so it zipped into the city over the western bridge. I saw what I had seen a hundred times before but suddenly I realized how magnificent this place is. We passed over the river that divides the smaller, northern section of the city from the bustling downtown. I was amazed. As if I were seeing this all for the first time.

I had the option of taking stairs or escalator. I felt light as air climbing the stairs, feeling grateful that I can do this. My body is alive.

It didn’t have to turn out this way. I could still be a slave to the medical establishment, going from appointment to appointment, hoping to find THE ONE to heal me.

You are that one. And we CAN do this. We can rise above the establishment and shine like stars in the nighttime sky.

My dad bought a telescope when we were kids, so we could gaze upward to the stars. He showed me the constellations and explained that we can find our way by them. Ships used to do this, he said.

We CAN find our way, without rocket science to guide us. The stars and the sky have always been there, or at least for longer than each of us has been alive, longer than rocket science and its money.

I remember the view of the city and taking all that in. Just as a child I took in all that my dad told me that day we looked up with the telescope. I pointed to the stars above, so amazed.

May you all be so blessed. May the stars pour their good fortune like great buckets emptying, overflowing abundantly into your hands.

Note that some of these appear as “alternatives” to traditional therapy or are anti-psychiatry. New cult-like groups sprout up all the time.

My experience tells me that learned dependency is induced by the mental health system. Former MH System members who may renounce the cult of mental illness may be highly susceptible for falling for other dependencies including guru-worshipping and other cults.

Expatients who are newly out may fall for false promises since the level of hopelessness is high, as is need for direction in life. Typically, once burned by a practitioner, our tendency is to find a “good doctor” and assume what happened was some exception. Sadly, this leads to nothing but continued dependency.

What is key here is not to find a new guru, nor new leader, nor new, better doctor, but to find yourself as center of your own life. You decide. You lead. You are in the driver’s seat. Anything else is continued slavery.

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RC is short for Re-evaluation Counseling. This group was presenting as a part of a conference run by Mind Freedom. I question whether MindFreedom was totally aware of what RC really is prior to allowing them to present. This was something like an “alternatives” conference that took place during the first day of the ISEPP three-day conference.

I chose to participate in the RC breakdown group mainly because I’d never heard of it. I noted that those presenting from this sector were not people I’d heard of in the Movement. Others presenting were folks I’d met before or heard of online.

Jim Gottstein spoke at the very beginning. His presentation was concise and very powerful! The other initial presentations were about Intentional Peer Support, Open Dialogue, and Soteria. These we know are humane practices, or are set up that way.

I support the MindFreedom organization, very strongly. However, I question any type of “alternatives” conference if it’s not really about alternatives. If it’s alternative, then it had better be radically different from what’s out there now, not just a rehashing or rewording of it.

RC was just something I’d never heard of. When I attended the breakout session I noted cult-like aspects of RC but I tried to keep what I felt to myself. Later research affirmed that sinking feeling I had, that this was a cult, not “treatment.” Months later I read a few horror stories.

I was especially impressed by the representatives of the peer-run respite that presented at the conference. These respites are radically different from a “hospital.” Read about it and you’ll see! Soteria houses are few and far in between because it’s hard to get them funded.

If I live long enough I’d love to apply the Soteria principles to eating disorders and start a respite facility based on non-force. We would honor individual autonomy and Freedom of Thought. We would empower people instead of knocking down their ideas. We would not impose a philosophy nor use the scare tactics or ganging up that other facilities use. A piece of me tells me it won’t be possible because I will never have the money to open such a facility. A second voice also tells me I will have a lot of trouble getting anyone to commit their time and energy to running it.

However, amazing things keep happening, stuff that I NEVER expected in a million years. Life unfolds in amazing ways. After I was abused in a hospital (in my 50’s) I figured my life was ruined by the abusers. I figured I’d be a failure at anything I ever tried ever again, but that turned out to be false.

We can do this. Even those who were badly harmed can indeed rise up and conquer adversity. There are no hopeless cases.

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I believe in Freedom of Thought. If a support group imposes on one’s Freedom of Thought it is not a support group.

The support group may have “group rules” but they don’t run your life nor judge anything you do outside of group that has nothing to do with that group. They can determine how you act within the group if that’s how they run it, but they cannot impose their philosophy nor religion on you, nor judge anything you do that’s outside the scope of the group. Why? Because they cannot possibly have full understanding of the circumstances.

Extra thanks to those who rallied to my side on this issue. One of my friends praised me for “bouncing back” and not stopping the group from bashing me by ending the conversation as soon as they got nasty. Another friend said the outside issue that I had brought into the group for discussion, although a difficult decision for me at the time, was a “no-brainer” and that there’s no question that I did the right thing. This wonderful friend told me that to do anything else might have put me at risk or escalated the situation. Another friend who had had a negative experience with the same “support group” rallied to my side telling me I’m not the only one who experienced group bashing from them. Not one person that I have talked to admonished me nor sided with the “support group.”

Not that the opinion of others matters…but to be honest, sometimes it does. I appreciate the support from my real friends and honestly it certainly makes a difference when you have supportive friends. God bless you all for helping me quickly get past this.

The way the system is designed, in all geographical areas that I know of, the institution is stacked to win any case. Hospitals are a business like any other and their main goal is to make money and stave off lawsuits.

They make money by donations, grants, government funding, Medicaid funding, and the like. They are funded by local companies and one big funding source is pharmaceutical companies and companies that make medical devices. Teaching hospitals have an arrangement with the corresponding university, and the local communities they serve.

If the hospital isn’t filling enough beds, they risk losing a lot of money including various grants. Some hospitals are guilty of filling beds by coercion just because they need to keep their numbers up.

If you are harmed by a physician, look to who it is that the doctor has to answer to. If you have Medicare you can file a complaint with them or t0 whatever insurance you have. They pay the doctor, after all. You can tell them not to pay for services you never received, for instance.

Also you can complain to the licensing board. This is one of the most effective ways to get action. When you write your complaint, stick to the concrete and try to stay away from sweeping generalizations. Watch for words like “always” or “everyone” when really you mean “some of the time,” or “twice,” and specify exactly the people you are talking about rather than using “everyone.” Don’t overuse exclamation points nor use all caps if possible.

Unless you’re quoting the doctor, leave swear words out of the review. But if he/she said a swear word to you, of course, say so!

I know it is hard because malpractice patients are angry and exhausted. The hospitals and doctors that harmed you are counting on you being too exhausted to complain. They’re hoping you give up! Don’t!

I’ve had very good results going to my state representative. They’ve been very responsive and tend to follow up. You can also try the attorney general. I would steer away from organizations such as “disability rights” in ANY area. Why? Because these are run chiefly by the state and, to my knowledge, don’t ever help anyone, even in cases of grave patient harm.

Private attorneys are hard to get. I’d suggest if you already have an attorney, go through him or her and ask him for a referral to one is knowledgeable about patient harm. If your doctor has broken the law or if an institution broke the law in the course of your care, a crime victims’ organization may be able to steer you in the right direction.

What about calling the police? YES! You can do this! You CAN call the police from a hospital. Don’t call from a hospital phone, call from a cell. My suggestion is not to say you’re a mental patient or most will just ignore the call! The state rep I talked to said I should have contacted the police when I was deprived of water at MGH.

I would not expect much from other providers as they rarely speak out against each other even in the worst abuse cases. They might even try to silence you, just to cover the perp’s hide, or defend the perp and make you feel like it was all your fault. Be careful.

Poor Mary Poppins! Her words were twisted around by the sugar-haters. She didn’t mean to say sugar is good for you! Go deeper into what she is saying here and you’ll see she meant something entirely different.

She meant that life should be fun and joyful. Especially for children.

One of the solutions I got from the naturopath contains ecinacea. It tastes terrible and even has a yucky aftertaste. His secretary suggested that I chase it with juice. I don’t have any juice handy, but guess what I do have!

Molasses! Yep, good ole fashioned blackstrap molasses! Molasses is amazing stuff! It contains a lot of minerals, including potassium. Did you know that molasses stops hiccups? Yep. I discovered that myself. As I figure, hiccups are an involuntary muscle spasm. I thought maybe potassium will help relax the spasm. It does! Molasses works instantly!

So today I chased the ecinacea with a spoonful of molasses. Blackstrap molasses is strong-tasting and kills the taste of medicine.

Ever since I started taking molasses now and then I have not been plagued with hiccups. Ah, but Mary was right, wasn’t she?

Hey folks, welcome to the world of self-healing and self-discovery. Step by step you can heal ANYTHING! You CAN do this.

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Here’s a quote from someone named Sam Rosenberg. I don’t know who he is but just read this:

“What we have is basically someone who has an agenda that they want to get out there. They’ve got a beef against an organization. They feel like they were slighted. They were humiliated. They were degraded. They weren’t treated the way they feel they were entitled to, and ultimately they decide to try to make a big impact,” Rosenberg said.

How many patients are treated horribly in mental hospitals, and get all pissed off. The answer isn’t shooting these folks, it’s ending the horrible treatment they have gotten.

This is a tough call. Therapists and the like have us by our tails in their confidentiality clauses. They claim if we “complain” we’re betraying confidentiality. But the meaning of betraying confidentiality is misconstrued in my opinion. Therapists break confidentiality all the time, even illegally. They’re excused. But patients have been sued…and worse, for trying to get legal help after being abused.

Likewise, I stand by my actions. I complained online, here and in other places, about being ganged up on in a “confidential group.” Please note:

I didn’t name the group nor the leader nor any participant.

It could have been any virtual group out there, as there are many.

If I quoted anyone at all, I quoted myself. My words are mine. Not anyone else’s and if I choose to share them I will. I mentioned the content of discussion. I’m happy to say that my friends are telling me the situation was a no-brainer and I did the right thing. Their suggestions, according to several of my friends, were so off-base that i’d say they were even suggesting I put myself in danger. The only thing i can do is to state the following:

There are plenty of virtual groups out there. If you are unsatisified with one, go to another, or find in-person friends.

Since Friday night I’ve heard nothing from any of them, not even an apology.